Cardinal Pierre dispels report of tense Pentagon meeting: ‘Fabrications’

Former Vatican diplomat Cardinal Christophe Pierre has dismissed as “fabrications” the details of a Free Press report alleging that Pentagon officials warned the Church during a January meeting that it must align with American foreign policy, according to U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch. 

The Free Press report 

In an April 6 Free Press report, Italian journalist Mattia Ferraresi cited anonymous Vatican officials briefed on the Jan. 22 closed-door meeting to claim that senior Pentagon leaders delivered a “bitter lecture” to Cardinal Pierre, then the apostolic nuncio to the U.S. According to Ferraresi, the Vatican sources described the meeting as a “warning that the United States has the military power to do whatever it wants — and that the Church had better take its side.”

The report said Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby summoned Cardinal Pierre to the Pentagon days after Pope Leo XIV’s Jan. 9 “State of the World” address to the diplomatic corps. In his speech, the Pontiff warned of a shift from dialogue-based diplomacy to one “based on force” and lamented a growing “zeal for war.” 

Ferraresi wrote that during the meeting, Pentagon officials picked apart the Pontiff’s speech, interpreting it as “a hostile message directed at Trump’s policies.” Citing a Vatican official, Ferraresi added that what “particularly enraged” the Pentagon was a portion of the speech that “appeared to challenge the Donroe Doctrine — Trump’s update of the Monroe Doctrine, which asserts unchallenged American dominion over the Western Hemisphere.” 

The report also stated that one U.S. official invoked the 14th-century Avignon Papacy — a period when French kings exerted significant influence over the papacy — as a veiled warning of potential coercion against the Holy See. The tensions led the Vatican to shelve plans for Pope Leo to visit the U.S. in 2026, Ferraresi said.

Cardinal Pierre rejects report in statement to Burch 

In an April 9 statement posted to X, Burch said he had just spoken with Cardinal Pierre, who “confirmed that recent media characterizations of his meeting with Undersecretary Colby are ‘fabrications’ that were ‘just invented.’”

Cardinal Pierre said no one made threats of any kind during the meeting, according to Burch. Asked if there was any reference to Avignon at the meeting, the cardinal replied, “None.”

“It was a frank and cordial meeting that took place two months ago,” Cardinal Pierre said. 

In a followup post, Burch said he has been in regular communication with Cardinal Pierre since being nominated to serve as a U.S. ambassador. 

“When we disagree, we have done so with sincerity and respect,” Burch said. “I believe the same could be said of his January meeting with Undersecretary Colby. It’s regrettable that some journalists and online agitators chose to exploit a routine meeting to sow division between the Holy See and the United States.”

Pentagon calls report ‘false and distorted’

Days after the article was published, the Pentagon pushed back on its framing. In a post on its rapid response account on X, the Department of War said Colby had a “substantive, respectful, and professional meeting” with Cardinal Pierre on Jan. 22. The department said the two sides discussed several topics, including “issues of morality in foreign policy” and “the logic of the U.S. National Security Strategy, Europe, Africa, Latin America.” 

“Cardinal Pierre expressed his appreciation for the outreach and both sides looked forward to continued open and respectful dialogue,” the Department of War said. “In light of grossly false and distorted recent reporting, the Department of War repeats its statement: Recent reporting of the meeting is highly exaggerated and distorted.” 

The Pentagon added that its personnel have nothing “but the highest regard” for the Holy See and “welcome continued dialogue” with the Vatican.

Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, was asked about the report the day before Burch revealed Cardinal Pierre’s dismissal of its contents. Vance said at the time that he had not yet seen the story but would like to speak directly with those involved before offering any comment. He added that he believes it’s “always a bad idea to offer an opinion on stories that are unconfirmed and uncorroborated.”